Den Shows the “4” Block

A Little Break Down of the “4” Block

Den taught me this block a short while ago and it’s also very well utilized by Neung, who is a WBC boxing champion. Basically you use your back arm and fold it across your chin, so your elbow is right at the center to protect your nose and chin and your glove is at the opposite side of your head, protecting your ear and jaw. Then your front arm is the leg of the “4”, shooting straight out to jab or push on your opponent.

Den isn’t using this “on” anyone in the video, but directly after shooting it he started shoving me with his outreaching arm and I thought it was important to note that he uses the outstretched arm with an open palm to push my shoulder (opposite side of my body so I have to turn and it opens me up to him) and figured that probably on a taller opponent or a guy he might push the chest also. I tend to use the outstretched arm to get right in the face of my opponent, push them backwards and then launch a heavy right cross; but Den loves to knee out of this or throw his elbows, which is why it’s important to keep your hips forward and watch the last part pertaining to how your feet should be positioned.

You can’t quite hear him in the video, but he says to keep your feet the same as your normally would and not to square up or reverse your feet. He says to stay up on your toes because you want to move forward out of this in an attack. It’s important to note that you don’t stay in this position for very long unless someone is raining punches at your head only. It’s a quick block and counter move, otherwise you’re getting kicked in the ribs. But he notes that the only time you come off your toes on the back foot and kind of lean your weight back instead of getting ready to drive forward is if your back is against the ropes and then you get your weight back in order to teep or switch step for a knee.

A 100 lb. (46 kg) female Muay Thai fighter. Originally I trained under Kumron Vaitayanon (Master K) and Kaensak sor. Ploenjit in New Jersey. I then moved to Thailand to train and fight full time in April of 2012, devoting myself to fighting 100 Thai fights, as well as blogging full time. Having surpassed 100, and then 200, becoming the westerner with the most fights in Thailand, in history, my new goal is to fight an impossible 471 times, the historical record for the greatest number of documented professional fights (see western boxer Len Wickwar, circa 1940), and along the way to continue documenting the Muay Thai of Thailand in the Muay Thai Library project: see patreon.com/sylviemuay